[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8236]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SUE SHAFFER

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wish to honor a rare and wonderful 
individual known throughout Oregon and the Nation who passed away on 
April 11 at the age of 94. Chairman Sue Shaffer, of the Cow Creek Band 
of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, lived a powerful life as a nonstop 
advocate for her family, her Tribe, and her community. As a mother, 
wife, daughter and friend, Sue created an atmosphere of energy, 
honesty, and kindness wherever she went. For Sue, no person or job was 
too big or too small to embrace.
  Sue was a descendant of one of the seven founding families of the Cow 
Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe. She grew up during the Great Depression 
in rural Douglas County at a time when everything was scarce. Despite 
her family's own struggle, their door was always open to neighbors in 
need of food or lodging, and they were always willing to support their 
community members. As she liked to recall, she grew up in a household 
where honesty, moral integrity, education, hard work, and helping 
others were all high priorities. For Sue and her family, life's rewards 
came from working hard and reaching out to others--and that is just 
what she did.
  Sue's mother, Nellie Crispin, kept records of the Tribe's heritage 
and passed down to her daughter the desire to fight for Tribal 
recognition. That vision and determination drove Sue to play an 
instrumental role in convincing Congress to formally recognize the 
Tribe in 1982. In 1983, Sue Shaffer became chair of the newly restored 
Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe, and for nearly 30 years, she worked 
with her Tribe and the community and expanded the Tribe's prominence by 
growing its economic footprint.
  Sue served as delegate to the National Congress of American Indians, 
delegate to the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and delegate to 
Indian Women's Leadership White House Conference, but her leadership in 
the community was not limited to the Tribe. Sue served on a myriad of 
boards in the community, including Umpqua Community College, becoming 
the first woman to chair the board. Throughout her life, Sue was also 
honored with many awards, including the 1999 President's Award for 
outstanding contribution to community in economic development by the 
Roseburg Chamber of Commerce, 2000 Female Citizen of the Year award for 
``unselfish devotion and distinguished service'' by the Roseburg Area 
Chamber of Commerce, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award in 2003. She was 
inducted into the Hall of Fame at Umpqua Community College in June 1999 
in recognition of the 17 years she served on the UCC board of trustees.
  Sue Shaffer was a dear friend, always known for being fair and never 
one to hesitate to ``tell it like it is.'' I will greatly miss Sue's 
friendship and good counsel. She was a true dynamo whose eloquent and 
powerful advocacy helped right the long, tragic history of wrongs 
inflicted on the Cow Creek and other Tribes in Oregon. Sue gladly led 
on so many fronts to improve life for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua 
Tribe, create a better Douglas County and a better place for all of 
Oregon to enjoy. Her indelible legacy of achievement for our State and 
our Nation will live on to benefit generations to come.

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